January 30, 2015

The
flamboyant Corcoran had a long and successful career as a minor league pro
quarterback, achieving a near-legendary status due to his performance on the
field and eccentric behavior off of it. He spent the better part of his first six
seasons in the Atlantic Coast Football League. With Wilmington in 1966, he led
the ACFL in pass attempts (247) and with Waterbury in 1967 topped the circuit
in attempts (309), completions (141), yards (2065), and TD passes (19). Corcoran
was cut by the AFL’s Denver Broncos during both the 1966 and ’67 preseasons and
was signed to the New York Jets’ taxi squad. He started the 1968 season with
Bridgeport, which acted as a minor league team for the Jets, and after he was sold
to another AFL club, the Boston Patriots, continued in the ACFL with Lowell,
Boston’s minor league affiliate. Corcoran again led the league in pass attempts
(333), completions (166), yards (2158), and TD passes (20). He also played in
two games for the Patriots, throwing seven passes, two of which were
intercepted. In 1969, after failing to catch on with the Philadelphia Eagles of
the NFL, Corcoran joined the Pottstown Firebirds for two seasons and led them
to an 11-1 record in ’70, a year in which he topped the ACFL in pass attempts
(297), completions (164), completion percentage (55.2), yards (2129), and TD
passes (24), although an injury caused him to miss the league championship
game, which the Firebirds won. He was named to the ACFL All-Star team. After another
failed trial with the Eagles in 1971, Corcoran returned to the ACFL and the
Norfolk Neptunes, leading the league in completion percentage (52.6) and TD
passes (17) as the club won the championship. He joined the Montreal Alouettes
of the CFL for 1972 but quit rather than be a third-string quarterback and
moved on to Chambersburg of the Seaboard Football League, but was injured
midway through the season. He spent the ’73 season with Flint of the Midwest
Football League. Corcoran joined the Bell of the new WFL for 1974, reuniting
with Head Coach Ron Waller, who had been an assistant with Pottstown and head
coach at Norfolk, as well as a number of other players who had been teammates
with both of those clubs.

1974 Season Summary

Appeared in 19
of 20 games

[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 545
[1]

Completions –
280 [1]

Yards – 3631
[2]

Completion
percentage – 51.4 [6]

Yards per
attempt – 6.7

TD passes – 31
[1]

Interceptions
– 30 [1]

Rushing

Attempts – 23

Yards – 26

Yards per
attempt – 1.1

TDs – 3

Scoring

TDs – 3

Action Points
- 1

Points – 22

(Note:
Touchdowns counted for 7 points in the WFL)

Postseason: 1 G (WFL First Round playoff at
Florida)

Pass attempts
– 32

Pass
completions – 11

Passing
yardage – 127

TD passes – 0

Interceptions
– 2

Bell went 9-11
to finish third in the WFL Eastern Division. Lost WFL First Round playoff to Florida
Blazers (18-3).

Aftermath:

Corcoran
returned to the Bell in 1975 but lost his starting job to Bob Davis. He
completed 45 of 99 passes for 440 yards and three TDs with six intercepted
before the WFL folded in October. Corcoran retired, “the minor league Joe
Namath” having passed for 14,528 yards and 134 touchdowns over the course of
his checkered and colorful career.

--

Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:

January 29, 2015

The AFC-NFC Pro Bowl returned to Los Angeles for the
first time in seven years on January 29, 1979. After regularly being played at
the Memorial Coliseum for 22 seasons, the annual all-star contest had been held
in six different NFL cities since then.The
contest also marked the first time that players wore their respective team
helmets rather than helmets with logos designed for the game.

There were 38,333 fans in attendance at the Coliseum on a
chilly 45-degree Monday night. Los Angeles Rams season ticket holders had been
required to purchase Pro Bowl tickets, and some 13,310 tickets went unused. The
first quarter was scoreless, with the AFC failing to convert a fourth-and-seven
play at the NFC 36 and Frank Corral of the Rams missing a 37-yard field goal
attempt for the NFC.

In the second quarter, after Miami’s Garo Yepremian was
short on a 47-yard try for a field goal, the NFC drove 70 yards in 11 plays. QB
Archie Manning of the Saints completed four passes and RB Wilbert Montgomery of
the Eagles, who had a 17-yard carry along the way, finished the series off at
7:06 into the period with a two-yard touchdown on a fourth down play. However,
Corral missed wide on the extra point attempt.

The AFC came right back with a nine-play, 62-yard
possession. With less than four minutes remaining in the first half, QB Bob
Griese of the Dolphins threw to Seattle WR Steve Largent for back-to-back gains
of 27 and 10 yards, and finished off the series with a throw once more to
Largent for an eight-yard touchdown. Yepremian added the extra point and the
AFC held a 7-6 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, and following a shanked 16-yard
punt by Oakland’s Ray Guy, the NFC was backed up by a holding penalty but then proceeded
to advance 55 yards. Dallas QB Roger Staubach (pictured at top), who was ineffective in the first
quarter, completed five straight passes in the series. Two were to WR Ahmad
Rashad of the Vikings for 15 and 17 yards and, following a six-yard run by
Montgomery, Staubach connected with WR Tony Hill, a Dallas teammate, in the
corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown with 3:43 remaining in the
period. Corral converted this time to give the NFC a six-point advantage, and
in the game dominated by defense, that was enough.

The teams traded punts as the contest entered the fourth
quarter and a Manning pass was intercepted by SS Bill Thompson of the Broncos
at the AFC 16. But following one more AFC possession, the NFC was able to
control the ball for the last 6:20. They had an opportunity to add more points
in the last minute, reaching the AFC five yard line, but Manning fell on the
ball twice to run out the clock. The NFC won the low-scoring contest by a final
score of 13-7.

The AFC led in total yards (320 to 296) and also had the
edge in first downs (18 to 17). 169 yards of the AFC’s total came on the
ground, against 151 passing yards, while the NFC threw for 199 yards and rushed
for 97. The NFC turned the ball over twice, to one turnover suffered by the
AFC.

Roger Staubach completed 9 of 15 passes for 125 yards and
a touchdown while giving up one interception. Archie Manning, who played the
second and fourth quarters, was 8 of 17 for 78 yards and also had a pass picked
off. Wilbert Montgomery ran for 53 yards on 9 carries and RB Tony Dorsett of
the Cowboys gained 27 yards on 7 rushing attempts. Ahmad Rashad had 5 pass
receptions for 89 yards and was named Player of the Game. G Tom Mack of the
Rams finished off his Hall of Fame career with an 11th Pro Bowl
appearance and received a standing ovation from the Los Angeles fans with a
minute remaining in the contest.

For the AFC, Terry Bradshaw was successful on 8 of 17
throws for 54 yards and no interceptions. Bob Griese threw 20 times with 10
completions for 122 yards and a TD and also gave up no interceptions. Houston’s
star rookie RB Earl Campbell rushed for 66 yards on 12 carries to lead both
teams. Steve Largent, the first Seahawk to appear in a Pro Bowl, caught 5
passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, all in the second quarter.

“One of the highlights of my career was just being here,”
said Ahmad Rashad (pictured at left) who, along with Steve Largent, set a then-Pro Bowl record for
pass receptions. “The Most Valuable Player award was just gravy.”

“I’m not going to go home and stay up all night, but it
was disappointing to lose,” said Terry Bradshaw, who had quarterbacked the
Steelers to a win over Dallas in the Super Bowl the previous week.
“Emotionally, I went into this game drained. I thought I’d be okay but I think
I’m still mentally fatigued from the Super Bowl.”

The win gave the NFC a 5-4 lead over the AFC since the
restructuring of the Pro Bowl into AFC vs. NFC in 1970. The game moved to
Honolulu the following season, leaving the Memorial Coliseum once and for all.

January 27, 2015

On January 27, 1972 the Minnesota Vikings swung a deal
with the New York Giants that brought QB Fran Tarkenton back to the team he had
started his career with, at the cost of three veteran players and two high draft
choices. The Vikings received Tarkenton for QB Norm Snead, WR Bob Grim, FB
Vince Clements, and the first draft pick for 1972 as well as the second-round
choice for ‘73.

Under Head Coach Bud Grant since 1967, the Vikings had won
four straight division titles through the ’71 season, advancing to the NFL
Championship in 1969 before losing to the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs in the last
pre-merger Super Bowl. The team had a consistently outstanding defense and gave
up the fewest points in the league in 1971. The offense, however, was far less
impressive and an upgrade at quarterback was considered to be a significant
need.

Joe Kapp,a fiery leader which offset his weaknesses as a
passer, enjoyed the most success but was gone due to a contract dispute after the
1969 season. Gary Cuozzo had seen the most action since then, but he could not
match Kapp as a team leader and his skills were no better than adequate. Norm
Snead was brought in to provide competition but it was Bob Lee, a backup who
handled the punting, that started in the Divisional-round playoff loss to the
Cowboys. Critics insisted that the stodginess of the offense made it difficult
for any quarterback to succeed.

The 6’0”, 190-pound Tarkenton, a resident of Atlanta who
starred at Georgia and was just short of his 32nd birthday, spent
his first six seasons with the Vikings after they drafted him in the third
round in their initial season of 1961. He quickly took over as the team’s
starting quarterback and played with a distinctive, scrambling style that was
exciting but became a source of conflict with Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin.
Tarkenton was twice selected to the Pro Bowl during that period, but after a
promising 8-5-1 finish in 1964, the club as a whole moved backward. Both Van
Brocklin and Tarkenton were gone after the ’66 season, and the scrambling quarterback
was chosen to four consecutive Pro Bowls with the Giants from 1967 through ’70,
when the club posted a 9-5 record and nearly won the NFC East title.

Things soured between Tarkenton and the Giants in 1971.
First, he upset team president Wellington Mara when he briefly walked out prior
to the first preseason game due to a contract dispute. As the team dropped in
the standings in 1971, finishing at 4-10, Tarkenton expressed the desire to
play for a contending team. The Giants were 33-37 in five years with Tarkenton
starting at quarterback, and his last season with the team was easily his worst
as he threw just 11 TD passes against 21 interceptions.

New York’s Head Coach Alex Webster expressed the hope
that the trade would help the team in 1972 and beyond, thanks to the package of
veterans and draft picks received.

Norm Snead had played eleven seasons in the NFL, coming
into the league at the same time as Tarkenton. A 1961 first-round draft pick by
the Washington Redskins, he started every game as a rookie. Big at 6’4” and 215 pounds and
a classic drop-back passer with a strong arm and slow release, Snead showed
early promise but was traded to the Eagles in a celebrated 1964 deal for QB
Sonny Jurgensen. Following seven up-and-down years in Philadelphia, he moved on
to the Vikings in ’71 and was used sparingly.

Bob Grim was coming off of his fifth, and easily best,
year with the Vikings. He more than doubled his production of the first four
seasons with 45 catches and 691 yards in ’71, and earned selection to the Pro
Bowl.

Vince Clements was Minnesota’s fourth-round draft choice
in 1971. He missed most of his senior year at Connecticut due to a knee injury
and left the Vikings after reinjuring the knee during the preseason. However,
he had expressed an interest in returning for ’72.

“We are very happy about going to Minnesota…back home,
almost, to where we started,” said Tarkenton in reaction to the trade, adding
that he enjoyed the time in New York “very much because it’s a great sports
city.”

The expectation that adding Tarkenton would bring a
championship to Minnesota was dashed in 1972 when the team finished third in
the NFC Central with a 7-7 record. While Tarkenton provided the needed upgrade
at quarterback, and had an excellent target in Pro Bowl WR John Gilliam, the
running game lacked a back with breakaway ability, and the vaunted defense
became vulnerable against the run.

The situation improved greatly in 1973. Rookie FB Chuck
Foreman was productive both running and catching the ball and the defense, with
key players healthy, was strong again. The team won the NFC Championship before
falling to the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. It was the first of three trips to
the Super Bowl in four years, although they all ended in defeat. Tarkenton was
a consensus MVP selection in 1975 and was chosen to the Pro Bowl three times in
his second stint with the Vikings. He led the league in completions on three
occasions, completion percentage twice, and passing yards and touchdown passes
once. In 1978, his last season, he achieved career highs in pass attempts
(572), completions (345), and yards (3468), although also in interceptions
(32). Upon his retirement, he was the NFL career leader in rushing yards by a
quarterback (3674) as well as pass attempts (6467), completions (3686), passing
yards (47,003), and touchdowns (342).

The Giants were 8-6 in 1972 and Norm Snead (pictured at left) had an
outstanding year as he led the NFL in completion percentage (60.3) while
throwing for 2307 yards and 17 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He was
named to the Pro Bowl. But both Snead and the Giants collapsed in ’73, with the
team dropping to 2-11-1 and the quarterback leading the league with 22
interceptions. Snead was traded to the 49ers during the 1974 season and
returned to New York as a backup in his final season of 1976.

Bob Grim caught just five passes in 1972 but had a total
of 65 for 1059 yards and four touchdowns in 1973 and ’74 before moving on
to the Bears and returning to the Vikings in 1976. Vince Clements played for two
years with the Giants and rushed for 435 yards and added 24 pass receptions for
another 247 yards, but appeared in just 16 games due to nagging injuries that
ultimately curtailed his career.

The two draft choices obtained for Tarkenton were used to
take DE Larry Jacobson from Nebraska with the 24th pick in the first
round in 1972 and Michigan State LB Brad Van Pelt in the second round of the
’73 draft. Jacobson started nine games as a rookie but lasted just three
seasons and had little impact. Van Pelt was far more successful – and was the
player obtained through the Tarkenton deal that was most useful to the Giants
for the longest amount of time – playing 11 seasons with the club and gaining
selection to the Pro Bowl five straight times, from 1976 to ’80.

For the Vikings, the acquisition of Tarkenton did help
the team and played a significant role in advancing to three NFC Championships.
For the Giants, the deal brought only short-term relief in a slump for the
franchise that started in 1964 and lasted until 1981.

January 26, 2015

A star
tailback and punter in college, Dobbs was chosen by the Chicago Cardinals in
the first round of the 1943 NFL draft, but went into the military instead.
After starring in service football, he joined the Dodgers of the new AAFC in
1946, a club that utilized a single-wing attack. Brooklyn went only 3-10-1, but
Dobbs led the circuit in passing yards (1886) as well as punting (47.8 avg.)
and was named MVP by the league. In a major trade early in the 1947 season,
Dobbs was dealt to the Los Angeles Dons. Playing quarterback in the
T-formation, his performance suffered,but
in ’48 a new head coach, Jimmy Phelan, created a new offense (the Phelan
spread) in order to more fully utilize Dobbs’ talents.

1948 Season Summary

Appeared in all
14 games

[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 369
[1]

Completions –
185 [1]

Yards – 2403
[4]

Completion
percentage – 50.1 [5]

Yards per
attempt – 6.5 [7]

TD passes – 21
[3]

Most TD
passes, game – 4 vs. Chicago 10/8

Interceptions
– 20 [2]

Passer rating
– 67.4 [5]

Rushing

Attempts – 91
[14]

Yards – 539
[11]

Yards per
attempt – 5.9 [5]

TDs – 4 [13,
tied with four others]

Pass
Receiving

Receptions – 2

Yards – 11

Yards per
catch – 5.5

TDs - 0

Punting

Punts – 68
[1]

Yards – 3336 [1]

Average – 49.1
[1]

Punts blocked
– 3 [1]

Interceptions

Interceptions
– 1

Return yards
– 32

TDs – 0

Kickoff
Returns

Returns – 2

Yards – 38

Average per
return – 19.0

TDs – 0

Scoring

TDs – 4

Points – 24

Awards & Honors:

2nd
team All-NFL/AAFC: Sporting News

2nd
team All-AAFC: League, UPI, NY Daily News

Dons went 7-7
to finish third in the AAFC Western Division.

Aftermath:

Injuries significantly
diminished Dobbs’ performance in 1949, and with the demise of the AAFC
following that season, he retired from pro football. After an absence of a
year, in which he was a sportscaster in Tulsa, Dobbs joined the Saskatchewan
Roughriders in Canada, playing three more seasons (and winning MVP honors in
the Western league, the WIFU, in ’51) before further injuries set in, and
serving as a player/coach. Overall, in the AAFC he passed for 5876 yards and 45
TDs, rushed for 1039 yards and 12 TDs, and had a 46.4 punting average. In
Canada, Dobbs passed for 5196 yards and 51 TDs, rushed for 241 yards and 7 TDs,
and had a 44.7 punting average. He returned to his alma mater, Tulsa, where he
was athletic director and head football coach.

--

Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:

January 24, 2015

The 21st Pro Bowl on January 24, 1971 was
played under a new format. The annual all-star game that came into being
following the 1950 NFL season (an earlier version of the game, called the Pro
All-Star Game, was played following the 1938 to ‘42 seasons) had featured a
pairing of Eastern vs. Western players. With the merger between the AFL and NFL
having come to full fruition for the 1970 season, expanding the league from 16
to 26 teams, the participants now represented the new American and National
conferences.Coaches for the two squads
were from the losing teams in the conference championship games, which were
John Madden of the Oakland Raiders for the AFC and San Francisco’s Dick Nolan
for the NFC.

There was a disappointing crowd of 48,222 fans in
attendance at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. They saw the defenses
dominate the first half. Following a scoreless first quarter, the AFC got on
the board first on a 37-yard field goal by Kansas City’s Jan Stenerud. The NFC
responded with a 13-yard field goal by Fred Cox of the Vikings and the score remained
tied at 3-3 at halftime.

Early in the third quarter, with San Francisco’s John
Brodie at quarterback, the NFC put together a six-play, 84-yard drive. Brodie
completed a pass to WR Gene Washington of the Vikings for 31 yards and then connected
with his 49er teammate, also a wide receiver named Gene Washington, for 24
yards. That set up a throw to Minnesota HB Dave Osborn, who was open for a
23-yard touchdown. Cox added the extra point.

The NFC got a break on defense when CB Mel Renfro of the
Cowboys tipped a Lamonica pass that Green Bay LB Fred Carr intercepted, and
that led to a 35-yard field goal by Cox to extend the NFC lead to 13-3. Later
in the period, a fumble by Chicago WR Cecil Turner on a punt return gave the AFC
favorable field position, and they nearly cashed in when Lamonica threw to
Oakland WR Fred Biletnikoff, who caught the ball in the end zone but was ruled
to have come down out of bounds. They
were forced to settle for a field goal by Stenerud from 16 yards.

Prior to Turner’s fumble, he and Renfro stood side by
side on punt returns, but afterward Coach Nolan told Renfro to handle deep
kicks and Turner to move forward. It paid off significantly when, a minute into
the fourth quarter, Renfro (pictured at top) returned a punt by Kansas City’s Jerrel Wilson 82
yards for a TD. Forced to hurry his kick due to the rush, Wilson booted a line
drive that bounced before Renfro grabbed it and headed down the field, cutting
to his left and getting a good block by Chicago LB Dick Butkus on CB Zeke Moore
of the Oilers. With Cox adding the extra point, the sensational return opened
up a 20-6 lead for the NFC.

That was it until, with five minutes remaining, Renfro
fielded another punt by Wilson and ran 56 yards for a touchdown. Again Cox
converted and that provided the final tally in a 27-6 win for the NFC.

The NFC had more total yards (337 to 146) and first downs
(17 to 11) in what was largely a defensive show. There were a total of seven
turnovers, four by the AFC.

John Brodie completed 10 of 26 passes for 156 yards and a
touchdown and Fran Tarkenton was 8 of 13 for 69 yards, giving up an
interception. Dave Osborn (pictured at left) led in rushing with 45 yards on 10 carries and in
receiving yards with 58 on four catches that included a TD. Gene Washington of
the 49ers was right behind with 57 yards on two receptions while TE Charlie
Sanders of Detroit pulled in five passes for 44 yards. Mel Renfro, with his two
punt return touchdowns as well as good play on defense, was named the
outstanding back of the game and Fred Carr the game’s outstanding lineman.

Daryle Lamonica, who was harassed heavily by the tough
NFC defensive line, had an especially rough passing day, successful on just
four of 21 throws for 50 yards, and he was picked off twice. Bob Griese was
better with 9 completions in 14 passes for 86 yards, but he was also sacked
five times for losses totaling 56 yards. Larry Csonka topped the AFC with 44
rushing yards on six attempts. Marlin Briscoe had three catches for 35 yards
and Miami WR Paul Warfield was right behind with 32 yards on his two
receptions.

“Actually, it was a pretty even game,” said Coach Nolan
of the NFC. “Renfro’s great punt returns were obviously the key things, but I
thought Brodie and Fran Tarkenton both called a good game.”

Following the NFC’s win in the first AFC-NFC Pro Bowl,
the AFC won the next three. The AFC vs. NFC format for the game remained until
the 2013 season, when it was altered again to have the selected players divided
up by appointed team captains rather than play for their conferences.

January 23, 2015

A college
star in baseball as well as football, where he was particularly noted for his
pass receiving ability, Berry was named to Walter Camp’s 1924 All-American
team. He signed a baseball contract with the Philadelphia Athletics after
graduation and played in 10 major league games and, in the Fall, joined the
Maroons. He was an effective receiver and also placekicked.

1925 Season Summary

Appeared in 10
of 12 games

[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass
Receiving

Receptions –
31 (unofficial)

Yards – 349 (unofficial)

Average gain
– 11.3 (unofficial)

TDs – 4 [1,
tied with Hal Erickson & Marty Norton]

Scoring

Rushing TDs –
0

Receiving TDs
– 4 [1, tied with Hal Erickson & Marty Norton]

Other TDs – 2
[1]

Total TDs – 6
[5, tied with four others]

Field Goals –
3 [4, tied with eight others]

Extra Points
– 29 [1]

Points – 74 [1]

Awards & Honors:

1st
team All-NFL: Collyers Eye, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Maroons went 10-2
to finish second in the NFL while leading the league in scoring (270 points),
touchdowns (38), and rushing TDs (23). There was controversy as the league
penalized the club for playing a prohibited game against a team of former Notre
Dame players, thus forfeiting a chance for the league title.

Aftermath:

Berry played
one more season of pro football, scoring three touchdowns, and was again a
first-team All-NFL selection of Collyers Eye and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
After two years of minor league baseball, he returned to the major leagues in
1928 with the Boston Red Sox and became the club’s starting catcher for the
next four seasons. He moved on to the White Sox in 1932 and later returned to
the A’s, making his last two plate appearances in 1938 and becoming a coach
under owner/manager Connie Mack after his retirement. In addition, he coached
football at Grove City College and went on to become both a major league umpire
for many years and a NFL official.

--

Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:

January 22, 2015

Two fierce NFC East rivals, the Washington Redskins and
Dallas Cowboys, met for the conference championship on January 22, 1983. With
divisions set aside due to a 57-day strike by the players that limited the schedule
to nine games, Washington topped the NFC with an 8-1 record and the Cowboys
ranked second at 6-3. The usual playoff format was set aside for a tournament
of the top eight teams in each conference. Washington easily defeated Detroit
and Minnesota in the first two rounds to advance to the NFC title game, and the
Cowboys got past the Buccaneers and Packers.

Washington had last been in the postseason in 1976 and
was appearing for the first time under second-year Head Coach Joe Gibbs. Little
had been expected of the Redskins coming into the ’82 season, but things fell
into place on both sides of the ball. On offense, the line, known as “the
Hogs”, coalesced into the league’s best unit. QB Joe Theismann had a Pro Bowl
year and, while WR Art Monk was missing in the postseason with a broken foot,
WR Charlie Brown was coming off of a fine year in which he was also selected to
the Pro Bowl. Workhorse 33-year-old RB John Riggins (pictured above) was stepping up in the
playoffs with hundred-yard performances in the two wins. The defense had
improved dramatically since the preceding year and led the league in fewest
points allowed in the short season. Mark Moseley received rare MVP plaudits for
a placekicker with his 20 field goals in just 21 attempts.

The Cowboys, coached for the 23rd season by Tom Landry,
were back in the NFC Championship game for the third consecutive year, and had
lost the last two. QB Danny White was capable but had taken criticism for
failing to win big games. Still, he was a Pro Bowl performer, as was star RB
Tony Dorsett, who led the NFC in the abbreviated season with 745 rushing yards.
The receiving corps was a good one that featured WRs Drew Pearson and Tony
Hill. The aging defensive line was still formidable, as was the defensive
backfield.

There were 55,045 enthusiastic fans in attendance for the
Saturday game at RFK Stadium. The Cowboys had the first possession and drove 75
yards in 10 plays, with Tony Dorsett running effectively and Danny White completing
three passes. But after reaching the Washington 15 yard line, the Redskins
stiffened on defense. On third down, CB Jeris White knocked a pass out of Drew
Pearson’s hands that would have been a touchdown and Dallas settled for a
27-yard Rafael Septien field goal.

The Redskins responded by driving 84 yards, starting off
with two carries by John Riggins for 12 yards. Theismann had completions to TE
Rick Walker for nine yards, 15 yards to TE Don Warren, and 11 yards to WR Alvin
Garrett, and Riggins contributed a 17-yard run. The possession was capped by a
pass from Theismann to Charlie Brown for a 19-yard touchdown. Mark Moseley
added the extra point and Washington was in front by 7-3.

On their next series, the Redskins converted a
fourth-and-one play at the Dallas 40 with a carry by Riggins, but they ultimately
came up empty when the drive stalled and Moseley’s 27-yard field goal attempt
hit the left upright and was unsuccessful.

The Cowboys were having difficulty on offense, with three
straight possessions in which they were unable to get a first down. As the
first half wound down, a punt by the Redskins was muffed by Dallas DB Rod Hill
and, while LB Monte Coleman recovered in the end zone for Washington, the ball
had to come back to the 11. It was a formality as Riggins carried twice for
eight yards and, after RB Joe Washington gave the Redskins a first down at the
one, Riggins carried again for a touchdown with 3:41 remaining in the first
half. Moseley again added the PAT and Washington took a 14-3 lead into
halftime.

In the last minute of the half, White was hit hard by DE
Dexter Manley and suffered a concussion, knocking him out of the game. He was
replaced by third-year backup QB Gary Hogeboom (pictured at left), who had thrown only eight
passes all season.

A fumble by Washington DB Mike Nelms returning the second
half kickoff gave Dallas the first possession in the third quarter, and Hogeboom
directed the Cowboys to a score, finishing the series off with a six-yard
touchdown pass to Pearson. Septien’s point after narrowed the Washington lead
to 14-10, but Nelms returned the ensuing kickoff 76 yards to the Dallas 20. Five
plays later, Riggins ran for a four-yard TD, Moseley converted, and the home
team was up by eleven points at 21-10.

The Cowboys blitzed linebackers and defensive backs on
first down in an effort to shut down Riggins and the relentless Washington running
attack. Later in the period, Hogeboom threw to WR Butch Johnson for a 23-yard
TD and, with Septien adding the extra point, Dallas was behind by only 21-17.

The tide turned in the fourth quarter. First, LB Mel
Kaufman intercepted a low pass by Hogeboom that was intended for WR Tony Hill.
That set up a Moseley field goal from 29 yards to make the score 24-17. Then, on
the next play from scrimmage, DT Darryl Grant (pictured at right) grabbed a pass tipped by Manley
and ran 10 yards for a touchdown. Moseley converted and, with two scores in a
span of 17 seconds, Washington was ahead by two touchdowns with 6:55 remaining
in the contest. The Redskins got the ball back with 4:26 to play and Riggins
ran nine straight times for 43 yards to finish off the Cowboys by a final score
of 31-17.

The game had an odd ending when Theismann took a knee on
fourth down with 12 seconds left, forgetting that the clock would stop for the
change of possession. The Cowboys left the field and had to be called back,
returning after five minutes to run the last play with Pearson taking the snap
and not attempting to advance. In the meantime, happy Washington fans had
already flooded the field and torn down the goal posts.

Dallas led in total yards (340 to 260) and first downs
(21 to 18). Only 65 of those yards came on the ground, as opposed to 137 for
the Redskins, and the Cowboys also turned the ball over three times, to none by
Washington.

John Riggins set a NFL postseason record with his third
straight hundred-yard rushing performance (he made it four straight in the
Super Bowl) as he gained 140 yards on 36 carries that included two touchdowns.
Joe Theismann completed 12 of 20 passes for 150 yards and a TD with no
interceptions. Alvin Garrett, performing well in the playoffs as the
replacement for Art Monk, had four catches for 46 yards and Charlie Brown
gained 54 yards on his three receptions that included a TD.

For the Cowboys, Gary Hogeboom was successful on 14 of 29
throws for 162 yards in relief, but after tossing two TDs he gave up the two
interceptions. Prior to leaving the contest, Danny White was 9-of-15 for 113
yards and no TDs, although also with none picked off. Tony Dorsett was held to
57 yards on 15 rushing attempts and he gained 29 yards on two catches. Three
Dallas receivers caught five passes apiece, with Butch Johnson gaining the most
yards with 73 that included a touchdown, Tony Hill contributing 59 yards, and Drew
Pearson accounting for 55 yards and a TD.

“If we are a fluke, you can just put NFC Champion behind
it,” exclaimed Joe Theismann. “They say we are lucky, they say we don’t have
enough talent, but we did it.”

“It was just a pleasure to be in a game like this,” said
John Riggins. “This is the first championship game I’ve been in. To tell you
the truth, after the strike, I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue the season. I
was ready to pack my bags and head for Kansas. Boy, what a mistake that would
have been.”

The pleasure continued for the Redskins, who defeated
Miami in the Super Bowl. Riggins was again the star as he rushed for 166 yards.
They repeated as NFC Champions in 1983. Dallas returned
to the playoffs in ‘83, finishing second to Washington in the NFC East, but
lost in the Wild Card round. The Cowboys would not appear in another NFC
Championship game until the 1992 season.

Gary Hogeboom came up short in his relief performance
against the Redskins, but it set the stage for a quarterback controversy that
culminated with his getting the starting job ahead of Danny White in 1984. His
performance was lackluster, White took back the reigns, and Hogeboom was traded
to the Colts in ‘86.

January 20, 2015

A pioneering Hispanic
pro football player, Aguirre was chosen by the Redskins in the 11th
round of the 1941 NFL draft. He caught 10 passes and kicked two field goals and
eight extra points as a rookie. After missing the ’42 season, Aguirre came back
to catch 37 passes, which ranked second in the league, for 420 yards (11.4
avg.) and 7 TDs in 1943. He received first-team All-NFL recognition from the
New York Daily News.

Redskins went
6-3-1 to finish third in the NFL Eastern Division while leading the league in
passing yards (2021).

Aftermath:

Aguirre
followed up in 1945 with fewer catches (16) but led the NFL in field goals (7).
He received first-team All-NFL honors from the INS and Chicago Herald American
and was a second-team selection of the New York Daily News. Aguirre jumped to
the new All-America Football Conference in 1946, following Washington’s coach,
Dudley DeGroot, to the Los Angeles Dons. He was a first-team All-AAFC choice of
the New York Daily News and second-team pick by UPI in ’46 and had his most
productive pass receiving season in 1948 with 38 catches for 599 yards (15.8
avg.) and 9 touchdowns. After being limited to four games and three catches in
’49, and with the demise of the AAFC, Aguirre moved on to Canada in 1950. He
led the West (WIFU) in scoring with 57 points for Winnipeg and was named to the
WIFU All-Star team. After a second season with the Blue Bombers in ’51, he
moved on to Edmonton for 1952 and caught 38 passes for 549 yards (14.4 avg.)
with five TDs and was a second-team All-WIFU selection. Spending his last three
seasons with Saskatchewan from 1953 to ’55, he became used more as a
placekicker and kicked 19 field goals and 25 extra points while leading the
WIFU with 85 points. Overall, in the NFL, Aguirre caught 97 passes for 1122
yards (11.6 avg.) and 13 TDs, kicked 13 field goals and 53 PATs, and scored 169
points. In the AAFC, he caught 63 passes for 1040 yards (16.5 avg.) and 16 TDs,
kicked four field goals and 33 PATs, and scored 141 points. In Canada, he had
62 catches for 928 yards (15.0 avg.) and 7 TDs, kicked 40 field goals and 119
PATs, and scored 296 points. He received at least some all-league recognition
in the NFL, AAFC, and WIFU.

--

Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders (NFC/AFC
since 1970) in the following statistical categories:

January 18, 2015

On January 18, 1973 the St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL dipped
into the college ranks to hire Don Coryell as the new head coach. The
48-year-old Coryell of San Diego State replaced Bob Hollway, who was fired directly
following a second straight 4-9-1 record in 1972 with one year remaining on his
three-year contract. The Cardinals had not reached the postseason since 1948,
although they were contenders several times under Wally Lemm and Charley Winner
during the 1960s.

Coryell’s record at San Diego State was 104-19-2 over
twelve seasons, including 10-1 in 1972. Prior to that, the former college
defensive back spent one year as coach at Wenatchee Junior College in
Washington in 1955 and then coached a service team at Fort Ord in California that
went undefeated in ’56. Moving on to Whittier College, his teams had a 23-5-1
record and won three conference championships.

Prior to his arrival in 1961, the Aztecs had gone through
lean years and hit rock bottom with back-to-back 1-6-1 records in the two seasons
immediately preceding. Coryell recruited junior college players and his teams
were known for their pass-oriented offense. He had success with future pro
quarterbacks Don Horn, Dennis Shaw, and Brian Sipe, and notable wide receivers
included Gary Garrison, Isaac Curtis, and Haven Moses. John Madden and Joe
Gibbs were assistant coaches, and Gibbs rejoined Coryell in St. Louis along
with two of his current assistants, Rod Dowhower and Jim Hanifan, who all went
on to head coaching jobs in the NFL.

Asked about his decision to move to a pro team, Coryell
explained that “I was as far as I could go in the situation I was in.” He had a
written a letter to owner Bill Bidwill expressing his interest in the job.

“I’m not a disciplinarian in the way I try to get people
to do things,” said the soft-spoken Coryell of his manner of handling players.
“They do it or they don’t play.”

“I believe in a wide-open style of play,” said Coryell with
regard to his offensive strategy, which ran counter to the prevailing wisdom in the NFL at the time. “I like to throw the
ball. I believe in attacking the defense.”

The quarterback Coryell inherited was Jim Hart (pictured at left), a
29-year-old veteran who had been unheralded coming out of Southern Illinois in
1966, showed great promise when forced into the starting job in ’67, but had endured
challenges from Pete Beathard, Gary Cuozzo, and Tim Van Galder in recent years.
A classic drop-back passer who was at
his best throwing long, Hart prospered in Coryell’s offense.

TE Jackie Smith was a talented veteran receiver and WR Mel
Gray was up-and-coming. HB Donny Anderson was still effective at age 30, but
was joined by speedy rookie Terry Metcalf out of Long Beach State. There were
also good young linemen in OT Dan Dierdorf, G Conrad Dobler, and C Tom Banks,
in addition to savvy veteran OT Ernie McMillan. The defense included a good
group of linebackers in Larry Stallings, Pete Barnes, and Mark Arneson. CB
Roger Wehrli was the best of the defensive backs and DT Dave Butz was a
promising rookie. To top things off, Jim Bakken was an accomplished placekicker
who had been with the club since 1962.

The Cardinals duplicated their 4-9-1 record in 1973. Hart
performed capably but played with injuries during the second half of the season
and missed two games altogether (rookie Gary Keithley, also the punter, filled
in). Moreover, the team ranked 12th in the league in offensive
production but 26th in defense.

St. Louis broke out with a 10-4 record in 1974, making it
into the postseason for the first time in 26 years. Hart had a Pro Bowl year as
he threw for 2411 yards and led the NFC in touchdown passes (20) and
completions (200), while giving up just eight interceptions. He was sacked only
16 times, a tribute to the improvement on the offensive line. Metcalf also
gained Pro Bowl recognition for his outstanding all-around performance, gaining
a total of 2058 yards (718 on 152 rushing attempts, 377 on 50 catches, 623 on
20 kickoff returns and 340 on 26 punt returns). FB Jim Otis provided inside
power and Mel Gray also reached the Pro Bowl. The dependable Jackie Smith had a
new backup and heir apparent in rookie J.V. Cain. The defense, under the direction of
coordinator Ray Willsey, was significantly better, allowing 147 fewer points
and almost a thousand less yards than in ’73. Wehrli was chosen to the Pro Bowl
and CB Norm Thompson intercepted six passes, while DT Bob Rowe was outstanding
on the line that lost Butz for the year in the season’s opening week. After
getting off to a 7-0 start, the Cards had a rougher time during the second half
of the season but still topped the NFC East. They lost to Minnesota in the
Divisional playoff round.

The Cardinals repeated as division champs in 1975 with an
11-3 record. The offense was even more productive. Hart threw more
interceptions (19) but also 19 touchdowns and 2507 yards and again was chosen
to the Pro Bowl. Metcalf outdid himself by setting a NFL record with 2462
all-purpose yards, scoring 13 touchdowns with at least one apiece via rushing,
pass receiving, returning a punt, and returning a kickoff, and Otis led the NFC
in rushing with 1076 yards. Both joined Hart as Pro Bowl choices, and so did
Dan Dierdorf and Conrad Dobler on the line that allowed just eight sacks. Gray was a consensus first-team All-NFL
selection as well (48 catches, 926 yards, 11 TDs). On defense, the pass rush
was still unexceptional, but Wehrli and Thompson intercepted 13 passes between
them, and the former was also a consensus first-team All-Pro. But once more the
Cards couldn’t win in the postseason, losing to the Rams.

The record in 1976 was still strong at 10-4, although in
the highly-competitive NFC East that was only good for third place (thanks to
being swept by the Redskins, who managed the same record) and the Cards missed
the playoffs. Hart had a third straight Pro Bowl year, tossing 18 touchdown
passes while his yardage increased (2946) and his interceptions dropped (13).
Metcalf and Otis had lesser, if still good, seasons. WR Ike Harris emerged with
52 catches for 782 yards across from Gray, still a dangerous deep threat and
Pro Bowler. Bakken was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection for the second
straight year with perhaps his greatest season in his 15th year,
connecting on 20 of 27 field goal attempts, several of which were pivotal in
victories. But the pass rush continued to be disappointing and injuries were a
problem at middle linebacker.

The Cards dropped down to 7-7 in 1977. Hart, Metcalf,
Gray, Dierdorf, Dobler, Banks, and Wehrli were still Pro Bowl performers, but
after breaking out to a 7-3 start, the club lost its last four games. Friction
developed with the front office, where Bidwill insisted on cutting costs and
salary disputes with several veterans affected team morale. Coryell also chafed
at not having a voice in personnel decisions, the team had not drafted well,
and he became increasingly outspoken about the situation.

Coryell resigned as head coach following the season,
having compiled a 42-27-1 record that included two division titles. In just
five years, he had become the winningest coach in the team’s long history (he
was eventually surpassed by Ken Whisenhunt). At a time when zone defenses ruled
and teams tended toward ground-oriented offenses, Coryell proved that an
aggressive passing offense could still be successful.

Coryell did not remain out of work long, returning to San
Diego as head coach of the Chargers during the 1978 season and remaining there until
1986, enjoying even more success (if still never achieving a
championship).With outstanding
personnel and rules changes that went into effect in ’78 to benefit the passing
game, Coryell was able to further innovate and develop an even more explosive
offensive attack.

Bidwill and the Cardinals again went with a successful
college coach to replace Coryell, although in this instance it was 62-year-old
Bud Wilkinson, who had last manned the sidelines at Oklahoma 15 years earlier
before moving to the broadcast booth. With the loss of key personnel, including
Metcalf, who jumped to the CFL, and Harris and Dobler, dealt to New Orleans, the
result was a drop to 6-10 in ’78. It was the first of four straight losing
seasons until the team went 5-4 in the strike-shortened 1982 season under Jim
Hanifan, the former Coryell assistant.